The Cheerful Lexicon of the Spanish Language May Help Solve a Health Mystery Called the Hispanic Paradox
“A Spaniard’s social agility is superior to their fierce feelings of personal independence.” Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain.
Brendan Boyle • Spain's fix for a lonely planet
Unamuno was convinced that out of the tragic sense of life—the despair and pain that unfulfilled religious longing entails—emerges heroics deeds, hope, and love.
Jan E. Evans • Miguel de Unamuno's Quest for Faith: A Kierkegaardian Understanding of Unamuno’s Struggle to Believe
Research shows that individuals who face life with a mindset of tragic optimism—in particular, those who expect a fair share of change and hardship—have advantageous physical and psychological responses to stress. They feel less pain, gain more fortitude, and are more likely to successfully move forward following disruption.
“Why is that?” I asked. “It’s vitamin S,” he said. “You smile in the morning and it fortifies you all day
Dan Buettner • The Blue Zones, Second Edition: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
Chapter ten illustrates how even if you are just ordinarily pessimistic, your health may not be up to par. You will likely suffer the chronic diseases of aging earlier and more severely than necessary. Your immune system may not work as well as it should; you will probably suffer more infectious diseases and recuperate more slowly.
Martin E.P. Seligman • Learned Optimism
Research has shown a staggering number of health benefits associated with dispositional optimism, from improvements in cardiovascular health, to how quickly wounds heal, to slower disease progression.